Flirtin' With Disaster
by Blayzepwa
Summary: Snakes, a shape-shifting witch, and a meddlesome brother are making Dean's life troublesome. Luckily, he has a certain blue-eyed angel of the Lord on his side. Destiel hurt!Dean, strong language, minor violence
1. Chapter 1

Flirtin' With Disaster - Part One

Disclaimer: I do not own Dean, Sam, Cas, Bobby, or the Impala. No money is being made off of this.  
AN: My entry into the Dean/Cas BigBang 2015. This is my first story I've written. I would like to extend a **HUGE** thanks to my wonderful beta padaleckhi. Thank you so much, you rock! And another major shoutout to my **INCREDIBLE** artist waywardwhisper! You guys were both great to work with, and this story wouldn't be what it is without you two!  
Please take the time to check out this awesome art on my liveJournal! blayzepwa . livejournal . com  
Title comes from the Molly Hatchet song of the same name. Fun song, and totally reminds me of Dean lol.  
Warnings for language, and minor violence

Dean Winchester loved the open road. Black asphalt soaring beneath his sleek black beauty, Led Zeppelin blasting through the speakers, wind blowing in through the open window.

He had dropped Sam off at a motel a couple hours ago. He needed to clear his head after the last hunt, and nothing did it better than a few hours of alone time with just him, Baby, and nothing but open highway.

Yeah, the previous hunt had hit him hard. He was never really a fan of werewolves. They were normal people who had the misfortune to run into one of the world's many evils. He preferred hunts more along the lines of black dogs and wendigos. So when that hunt turned out to be a human child who had transformed into a vicious werewolf, his heart had sank. Oh sure, he'd finished the hunt. That was his job, after all. But he was pretty sure his soul had become a little more tarnished for doing so, no matter what Cas and Sam told him.

Suddenly there was a clunk from under the car's hood. "Dammit!" Dean cursed as the Impala began to rattle, hitting his hand on the steering wheel. He immediately regretted his action, rubbing the dashboard soothingly as he whispered words of apology to his baby.

He pulled over to the side of the deserted road and turned the car off before sighing. Things just never seemed to go his way. All he wanted to do now was get back to the motel, have a nice hot shower and a bite to eat, and crawl into bed for the next, oh, ten years.

He popped the hood and climbed out of the car and made a face as the hot Texas air hit him. It was always so much cooler when it was blowing in through the window as he sped down the road. Dean walked to the front of the car and lifted the hot hood with the tips of his calloused fingers. A quick glance in showed him that the slowly setting sun was not about to provide him with adequate light. Dean went and grabbed a few tools and a flashlight, and stuck his head back under the hood to see what was wrong.

He found the answer after about fifteen minutes. A bolt holding a cap had come loose and needed fixing. Simple, thank god. He was worried it would be something complex, and being on the side of a back road desert highway….

Dean placed the flashlight on the front of the car and leaned over to tighten the bolt. As he straightened back up, his elbow knocked the flashlight off the car, where it hit his boot and rolled under the car. Dean sighed, before shutting the hood and placing the rest of the tools back in the trunk. He bent down and reached under the car for the flashlight.

Dean pulled his hand back with a startled yelp. Grasping it with the other hand, he raised it to his eyes. Sure enough, two small puncture wounds lay on the top of his hand. Dean stared at them, as though he could not believe what he was seeing. Two droplets of ruby blood oozed from the wound. "Snakebite, just perfect. Just what I fucking needed," he snarled at the empty air. He backed up several paces, not wanting to get bit again. When he thought he was far enough away, he crouched down and peered under the Impala. The setting sun made it harder to see, but there was still enough light to see the rattles on the snakes whipping tail. How he missed the tell-tale rattle sound was beyond him, but sure enough he heard it now.

The snake was watching him, curled upon itself right beside the flashlight he had dropped. The rattlesnake and the hunter stared at each other for several minutes, neither daring to move, as though they were in a Wild West showdown. Finally the snake unfurled itself and slithered out from under the car, in the opposite direction of where Dean currently crouched.

Letting out a sigh of relief that the snake was gone, Dean turned back to his hand. The area was starting to tingle as well as burn. He tried to remember everything he had heard over the years about snakebites, but came up with a blank. Unless he could figure out the location of a clinic for antivenin, he was royally screwed. He needed to call Cas. Or Sam. Or Cas. Or Bobby. Or….Cas.

Levering himself upright, he sucked in his breath as the world tilted on is axis. "Woah," he said quietly. Okay, this was not good. Really not good. Dean attempted to blink his eyes, trying to clear some of the blurriness that had begun creeping in. He stumbled to the open car door and fumbled around on the seat for his phone. He managed to grab onto it before his legs gave out from under him.

Pushing a number on speed dial, Dean listened for the voice he longed to hear. When the voice answered, Dean felt a small ray of hope. Maybe he could get out of this after all. "Cas…I need your help."

~*~*SPN~*~*

Castiel was helping Sam with some research when his phone rang. He glanced at the number, giving a small smile when he saw who was calling. "Hello?"

"Cas…I need your help." Dean's voice sounded weak, and slightly out of breath. The smile immediately fell off of Cas's face, and he felt a ball of dread form in his stomach.

"Dean? What's wrong? Where are you?" Sam's head snapped up at those words. Wide brown eyes locked onto Cas's. The angel switched his phone onto speaker for Sam's benefit.

"Got bit…by a fucking snake. Fuck….Fucking rattler." Dean's swearing did nothing to bring a smile to either Sam or Castiel's face. "Something went wrong…with the Impala…Fixed it but…bent down to grab the… flashlight when it fell and the…fucker got me."

Sam stepped forward then, and gently took the phone from Castiel's hand. "Dean, hey."

"Hey… Sammy," his brother replied. The pauses between the words was becoming more frequent, causing Sam's heart to flutter in his chest.

"Dean, you need to tell us where you are so that Cas can come and get you to a clinic." Sam waited for an answer. When none was forthcoming, Sam took a deep breath. "Dean!" he barked into the phone.

There was a sharp inhale from the other side of the line. "Sorry Sammy….'S starting to really hurt, y'know? 'Sa fuckin…snake f'ker…." Dean's words began slurring, making it harder to understand him.

Castiel stared at the phone, wishing he had never put those sigils on the brother's ribs. The sound of Dean's weakening voice made his heart ache to be with his best friend. "Dean, where are you? Are you by a city, or a town?"

"Pass'd one….'bout an hour back…Al'ce…Cas, come gemme…" The sound of a phone being dropped was heard.

"Dean! Dean!" Cas and Sam both called to him, but there was no reply.

~*~*SPN~*~*

The phone dropped from Dean's suddenly numb fingers. He stared at it for a moment, as it lay on the floor of the car. He contemplated picking it up, he could hear his brother and best friend shouting his name, but he was suddenly too weak to reach down and grab it. His eyes strayed to the bite on his hand, and the discoloration and swelling made him crinkle his nose. Was it just him, or was it getting stupidly hot in the car?

Dean half-crawled, half-rolled out of the Impala onto the road. He managed to maneuver himself to the last vestiges of shadow that where still around before the sun had set, and he laid down on his back. Fuck, he was hot. And thirsty. He used his good hand to wipe off the sweat that started beading on his forehead.

The hunter groaned as nausea began to churn in his belly. Biting his lip to try to keep from throwing up, he thought of his angel. He hoped Cas would be able to find him soon; he didn't know how much more of this he could take.

In the final light of dusk, a set of headlights appeared on the road in front of him. He heard the sound of a car door opening, before a figure knelt down in above him.

"C's?" He slurred, then protested weakly as a strong pair of arms lifted him up.

"Hey buddy, you alright?" a voice asked him.

Dean's head lolled, his vision was too blurry to make out who the figure was. It didn't sound like his angel though. "Cast'l…Where…?"

"Frank, look at his hand. It's so swollen," a women's voice said from his other side.

"Snakebite. Damn, we need to get him to the doc's place, now. Help me lift him." The hands lifted him, and though reality was starting to blur and become distorted, he recognized the vehicle he was placed in was not his baby. "Son, was it a rattlesnake that gotcha? Son? I need you to tell me." Dean laid on the backseat, panting heavily, a moan building in his throat. He managed to nod his head, wishing he hadn't as it felt ready to explode. All he could think of was bright blue eyes, and then he faded into blessed nothingness.

Two minutes later, Castiel found the empty Impala.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Castiel was frantic. He had hung up the phone not 10 minutes ago, after getting a vague location from Dean. He had flown in a growing radius around the town of Alice, looking for Dean and his sleek black car.

He found the Impala on the side of a back road in a valley. The angel looked around frantically for Dean. "Oh no…" Whipping out his phone, he quickly dialed Sam.

"I can't find him! He's not here!" He shouted into the phone.

"Wait, what? What do you mean you can't find him?"

"I mean the Impala is here, but Dean is not!"

~*~*SPN~*~*

Doc Handford met them at the door. He took one look at the young man brought to his doorstep and hurriedly ushered them into his spare room.

"Quickly, put him on the bed." The doctor was already setting up an I.V. broad spectrum antibiotic. "You sure it was a rattler?"

Frank nodded. "We were able to get that much out of him before he passed out. He kept asking for some girl. Cas? Casteel? I guess maybe his girlfriend or something." Frank paused and looked at the young man on the bed. He looked so young. He hoped that they had found him in time. "He was pretty out of it in any case, but he did nod his head when I asked him if it was a rattler."

Doc Handford glanced at the swollen hand. "The amount of swelling here, I'd say he was telling the truth. I've never seen a coral snake do this." The doctor quickly listened to his heart and lungs, and took his blood pressure. Lifting up the young man's top lip, he grimaced. Blood. This boy had been bit, and it definitely wasn't a dry bite, that was for sure.

"You still got that antivenin on hand, Doc?" Jenny asked, wringing her hands as she looked at the doctor with wide eyes.

"I do Jenny, but I don't know if he's allergic to the serum. I think it's something we have to risk though. He's already bleeding from his gums." He paused and looked at Frank. "Grab me the promethazine from that cupboard over there, Frank. It'll keep him sedated, the last thing we want is for him to wake up in a strange place and have a panic attack."

After injecting the young man with the promethazine, Doc Handford quickly went to his fridge and grabbed his case of CroFab antivenin. He pulled out several vials and began injecting them into the I.V.. "We need to watch him very closely for the next couple hours. Chances are if he is going to have a reaction, it'll happen in that window. I have some adrenalin ready, in case that happens. Jenny, keep an eye on his breathing, and make sure it doesn't get worse."

Jenny nodded and moved to sit beside the young man's head. She rested her hand on his forehead, frowning at the heat she felt. "Poor thing," she whispered.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Dean's return to consciousness was slow. He floated in nothingness, content to stay there, where there was no pain, and no memories to torture him. He couldn't remember what happened to him, and he did not particularly care. In this vast emptiness, he didn't hurt.

Hours passed, not that Dean had any concept of time. But slowly memories began to trickle in. He vaguely recalled his baby breaking down, followed by a flash of pain. He tried to shy away from the memory, but stopped as he recalled talking to someone on the phone. Names floated by, too briefly for him to recall. Who had he been talking to? Brother…Sam! And someone else, an angel…Castiel! He focused on the name Castiel, and everything rushed back to meet him. The Impala breaking down on the side of the road. Getting bitten by a snake. Phoning his angel to come find him. Pain. Weakness. Hands lifting him. Where was Cas? Why hadn't he healed him yet? Dean knew he couldn't be dead, he had seen both Heaven and Hell, and this was neither.

Distantly, he heard voices. He couldn't make them out, but perhaps one of them was Cas. He had to find out, he needed his angel. Steeling himself, he pushed towards consciousness.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Jenny hadn't moved from her spot on the bed. She noticed the slight twitching from the non-swollen hand, and the slight increase in breathing of the young man on the bed, indicating a return to consciousness. "Frank, get the doc. I think he's waking."

Frank nodded and left the room in search of the doctor. The two men entered the room, quickly walking over to the bed. The doctor leaned over, checking vital signs. "I think you're right, Jenny. I would've thought he would stay under for a while longer yet with the meds I gave him, but he certainly seems to be coming around." He put his hands on his patients forehead, frowning slightly when he noticed he still had a temperature. "He's still a bit hot, but the swelling's decreased. It seems as though we got to him in time."

Dean moaned weakly as he woke up, blinking his eyes in confusion. He stared at the blurry figures leaning over him. None of them looked like Castiel, or Sam, or Bobby. In a panic, he moved to push himself up. A hand at his shoulder stopped him and gently pushed him back down.

"Easy son, we're not gonna hurt you. You gave us quite a scare there, but thanks to the doc here, you'll be alright," a gentle voice said. Dean was too weak to fight against the hand pushing him down, but he relaxed slightly at the calming voice.

"Where…?" The word croaked out of Dean's mouth. Damn, he was thirsty. As though someone had read his mind, he felt a hand lightly lift his head, and a cup was placed at his lips. Feeling the cool water touch his lips, Dean gulped frantically. It was pulled away, and another voice cautioned him to slow down. When the cup was returned, he took slower sips, slaking his thirst. "Thanks," he whispered. He lay back and closed his eyes.

"You're at Doc Handford's place. My name's Frank. My wife Jenny and I found you on the side of the road. You were bit by a snake." Dean opened his eyes, finding them better able to focus. He looked at the voice, seeing a bearded face looking back at him. The man looked to be in his forties, and had laugh lines around his eyes and a small smile on his lips. "Hey there son, it's nice to see those eyes of yours open."

Dean nodded weakly, and glanced at the other two occupants of the room. He was disappointed to see neither of them were his angel. Or even his brother. One was a woman, Dean guessed she must be Jenny, Frank's wife. She smiled gently at him. The other was a tall, weathered man who looked at Dean in concern.

"What's your name, son?" The doctor asked him.

Dean hesitated. Experience had taught him that giving his real name to strangers was a bad idea, and he had no idea what these people were going to want from him in return, as he barely had any cash on him. But he figured as soon as he was able to stand, he was gonna blow this popsicle stand anyways, so what did it matter? As long as they were only satisfied with this first name anyways. "Dean."

"Well, Dean, I'm James Handford, but everyone around here just calls me Doc. Do you remember what happened?" Dean nodded weakly. "You are one lucky fellow. If Frank and Jenny here hadn't found you, you wouldn't be here right now."

Looking at Frank and Jenny, Dean smiled his thanks. His eyes began to drift shut, but a thought entered his mind. He needed to call Cas, let him know he was alright. Only problem was his phone was still on the floor of the Impala. He hoped Cas had successfully deduced his location and got to his car before thieves did. Struggling to stay awake, he looked at the doctor as he moved to his I.V. with a syringe in his hand. "Please Doc…I need to use your phone…I need to call someone…"

Doc Handford hesitated. He was loathe to sedate Dean without granting him the use of his phone, but the young man was in dire need of rest. Making his decision, he plunged the needle into the I.V. port, his heart clenching at the weakened moan of protest Dean let out.

"No, please. Cas…I need…." The sedative was fast acting, and Dean, with his sapped strength, could not fight it.

The room's other three occupants watched Dean succumb to the sedative. Jenny shook her head sadly at the doctor. "You should have let him call his friend."

~*~*SPN~*~*

Sam had never seen Castiel so frantic, not even when Dean was about to say yes to Michael. The angel had returned with the empty Impala and a frightened look in his eyes that seemed so out of place on him. Sam for was just as scared as Cas. They had no idea what had happened, and with the amount of evil things out there that wanted their heads on a silver platter, it wasn't hard to imagine the worst.

"Were there any signs of a struggle?" the hunter asked his friend.

Cas shook his head. "Not that I could see," he said. Suddenly his head shot up, and he fixed Sam with an excited look. "Sam, I have an idea!"

Sam felt a glimmer of hope. "What? What is it?" he asked excitedly.

"I can try to connect with Dean through dream walking. If he is merely asleep, I can speak with him and find out where he is."

Sam nodded as Cas moved over to lay on the bed. He sat down on the opposite bed and jiggled his leg up and down as he watched the angel anxiously.

Castiel's mind searched the dreamscapes for the shining beacon of light that was Dean's soul. It was a soul he was intricately familiar with ever since he had held it tightly and raised it from Perdition. As he searched, a part of him reflected on the beauty of this particular soul. The soul of the Righteous Man was intense and vibrant. It had to be, he supposed, to be able to withstand Michael.

The longer he combed the dreamscapes for Dean's soul, the more desperate he became. There were several possible reasons he would not be able to locate him. Only one bore thinking about, and that was if Dean was in fact awake. The others...

Finally he was forced to admit that Dean was not in a natural state of slumber. He opened his eyes to find Sam hovering anxiously over him.

"Any luck?" The hunter questioned, his eyes wide and hopeful.

Castiel just shook his head. Sam sat down heavily beside him. "We'll find him; he can't have gotten far," he said. He just wished he knew those words were true.

~*~*SPN~*~*

When Dean awoke next, he was alone in the bedroom. He glanced around warily, noting the absence of James, Frank, and Jenny. He lifted up his and looked at the puncture wound. He was pleased to note that the swelling had decreased, and his skin was a normal colour once again. Quickly he gave himself a once over, and saw with satisfaction that he was feeling much better than the previous time he woke.

Pushing himself to a seated position, Dean glanced at the nightstand beside his bed, pleased to note a glass of water sitting there. Lifting to his nose, he sniffed it to check for drugs. Sam had been devious enough on more than one occasion to slip drugs into his drinks before when he was sick. The water smelled clean though, and he took a welcomed gulp.

Once his thirst was satisfied, he looked around the room for a phone. He had to call Cas, tell him he was okay. Between the angel and his brother, he was certain there were enough hysterics going on to last through the next decade. At least.

The hunter was disappointed to not find a phone in the room. Pushing the covers off his legs, he was pleased that his pants remained on, even if his favorite shirt was now ripped to shreds on the floor. Pulling the I.V. out of his hand with a grimace, Dean stood up.

Almost immediately, the world began to tilt. Dean let out a quiet grunt and fell back onto the bed. Catching his breath, he steeled himself and tried again, albeit slower. When he was able to stand without feeling as though his legs were jelly, Dean made his way to the door. Hearing Cas's gravelly voice was the foremost thought on his mind.  
Dean opened the bedroom door quietly. The bedroom he was in was at the end of a narrow hallway. Down the hall he could hear James and Jenny talking in hushed voices. He had been hoping to sneak out and use the phone, but it didn't look as though that was going to be an option. Bracing himself against the wall, he made his way towards the living room. As he got closer, he could make out the words being said. They were enough to perk his interest. First he needed to call his angel, and then he would find out more.

"Jenny, I'm telling you, the Lechuza isn't real! It's a myth, an urban legend, nothing more!"

"Libby heard it Doc! The freak storm happened, right over her house, and then her sister is found dead that night! How is that a coincidence? I know you examined her body, you can't tell me she died naturally, she was ripped to shreds for heaven's sake." Jenny glanced up as Dean entered the room, her expression turning from agitated to surprised. "Oh! Dean, you're up!"

Doc Handford wheeled around. "What are you doing up, young man? Your body went through quite a trauma, and you need to be resting!" He paused and looked at Dean's hand. "Where's your I.V.?"

"Uhhh, I feel fine Doc. Really. Look, I really need to use your phone."

The doctor sighed. Little eddies of guilt had been swirling in his gut since he put Dean out before letting him use the phone before. He conceded this time. "Have a seat on the couch and rest son, and I'll bring you the phone."

Dean nodded his thanks, and moved to sit on the couch. The doctor handed him the phone, and he immediately dialed Cas's number.

The angel answered immediately, a wealth of emotion in his voice. "Hello?"

"Cas, it's me."

"Dean! You're alright? Where are you? I looked for you but you had disappeared and I…I couldn't find you…" Dean could immediately hear the worry and fear for him in Cas's voice. His stomach gave a flutter at that.

"Whoa whoa, Cas, it's okay. I'm okay. Really. It's gonna take more than a snake to take me out." Dean heard James let out a snort across the room at that statement. "Some folks found me at the side of the road, brought me to a local doctor. Listen, I've taken up enough of these people's time, can you come get me?" Dean looked over at the doc, seeing him hold up his hand in protest. "It's okay, doc; I'll go to the hospital if I start to feel bad again. What's your address?" Dean hoped the doctor couldn't read the lie in his words. When the doc still hesitated, Dean did his best impression of Sam's puppy dog look. "Please doc, my friend and my brother will both make sure I take care of myself. They are like mother hens, the both of them." He heard Castiel's huff of agreement through the phone.

Doc sighed and rattled off his address for Dean, who repeated it into the phone for Cas. "So I will see you in an hour, right?" He said before hanging up, wanting to make sure his angel didn't pop in immediately and freak everyone out, but damn if part of him didn't want him to. He ached to see Cas, knowing how close he was to never seeing him again freaked him out. He paused for a moment to reflect on that. Weird, because aside from Sam, he had never felt so close to anyone. Not his dad, not even Bobby.  
It took him a moment to realize that James and Jenny were watching him curiously. Huh, he must have zoned out for longer than he thought. Mentally giving himself a shake, Dean grinned at the two. "He'll be here in an hour."

~*~*SPN~*~*

As soon as Cas was off the phone with Dean, he turned to Sam, smiling widely. "I know where he is. He sounds alright."

Sam let out the breath he had been holding ever since Castiel answered his phone. Running a weary hand down his face, he felt the relief flood his body. "That's great. Where is he?"

"Some people found him by the side of the road and brought him to a doctor's house. That's why I did not find him; I was checking the roads and hospitals."

Sam watched Castiel as he paced back and forth, staring at the clock. In truth, he had almost been as worried for the angel as he was for his brother. He had never seen Cas look so terrified as he did when the angel could not find Dean. He knew that there was something going on between Cas and his brother, even if those two had yet to acknowledge there was. The stares when they thought no one was looking, the way they would finish each other's sentences….Personally, Sam thought it was incredibly cute and sweet, not that he would ever mention that to Dean, even if Dean finally admitted his feeling for the angel. Sam valued his limbs, thank you very much. But he knew that the apocalypse will have come and gone before those two did anything about it. Perhaps it was time for Sam to step in.

Cas stopped his pacing and spun towards Sam. "I am going to check on him. I can remain hidden. I will take him his car too." Without waiting for a reply, Cas vanished in a flutter of wings. Sam grinned. Oh yeah, definitely time to step in and do something.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Castiel stood in the corner of the living room, hidden from human sight, and watched his charge. He could have sworn Dean looked around when he arrived, which made him pause in thought. There was no way Dean should have been able to sense him. Pushing that thought to the back of his mind for later contemplation, he returned to observing his hunter.

Dean was sitting on the couch, talking quietly to a man and a woman. Cas assumed one of which was the doctor who had helped heal Dean of the snake venom. When Dean referred to the man as 'Doc', he was proven correct. He would have to find a way to repay this man later.

Dean still looked weak from his ordeal. Cas could see the slight tremors wracking Dean's body from where he was standing, left over from the shock his body had recently been through. He longed to go over there and heal his human, but knew he had to wait until they left the doctor's house. It pained him to know that Dean had been hurt, and that he was not around to help.

"So what was this myth that you guys were talking about?" Dean asked casually, leaning back against the couch. He saw the doc glare at Jenny. Dean held up his hands. "Sorry, don't mean to cause anything, just that urban legends have always been an interest of mine."

"It's not a myth," Jenny muttered under her breath.

James sighed. "Jenny, I'm sorry about your friend, I really am, but there is no such thing as monsters," turning to Dean, he grimaced. "I'm sorry you heard that Dean. Some people in these parts believe in some owl/witch thing. It's nothing but old superstition and hogwash."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "But you believe in this thing, Jenny?"

She nodded. "It's true. It's called La Lechuza. She was a bruja that sold her soul to the devil for supernatural powers." The doc snorted at this, but Jenny ignored him and continued. "According to legend, she summons and controls thunderstorms, and if you hear her cry, than a member of your family will die! My friend Libby heard it, right before her perfectly healthy sister dropped dead!"

"That sounds like quite the story," Dean commented. "Where did this all happen?" Cas could hear him growing weaker. He glanced at the clock. There was still too much time left. He had to figure out a way to get his human out of there quicker without raising too many questions. He couldn't just erase their memories of Dean; he didn't know who else had found him on the road.

"Just outside the Corpus Christi State Park. Lib's sister had a cabin out that way, said she loved being around the trees and the water."

"Like I said, it just an urban legend. Dean, maybe you should go lay down while you wait for your friend, you're looking a little pale."

"I'm fine," Dean said. "Really."

It was obvious the doctor didn't believe him, as he came to stand in front of Dean. "You're not fine, Dean, you were on Death's Door not long ago. I do believe you will be okay, but at this moment? You need to rest. You should be under observation for the next 12 hours, and I do wish you would remain here so I could keep an eye on you."

Cas bit his lip as he watched the exchange. He needed to help Dean. Making his decision, he flew to the front door and rang the doorbell. When the doctor opened the door, Castiel smiled. "Hello, my name is Cas. I am looking for my friend Dean."

James raised an eyebrow at the man in the trench coat on his doorstep. He was definitely not what he was expecting. "Yes, please, come in. My name is James Handford, or Doc, and that over there is Jenny." He held the door open for Cas, whose eyes immediately fell on Dean.

"Cas! You're here sooner than I thought," Dean tried to hide the relief he felt at his angel's arrival.

"Yes. It seems I was closer than I had originally thought. How are you feeling, Dean?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm getting sick of hearing that question. I'm fine!" Or at least he would be when Cas pulled some angel mojo once they were out of here.

James piped up. "He claims he's fine, but in truth he should be in a hospital, under surveillance for the next 12 hours. I gave him doses of antivenin, but he is still feeling some of the effects of the venom. I have him on a course of antibiotics, and I'll write out a prescription for the pills."

Castiel looked over at the doctor. "I appreciate you taking care of him, and I will ensure he is looked after." Turning to Jenny, he smiled. "And I assume I have you to thank for finding him?" At Jenny's nod, Castiel bowed his head in thanks.

Dean stood slowly with Cas's help. He was damn near desperate to be alone with Cas. His swollen arm ached, he still felt weak, and breathing was still somewhat of an issue. Plus, for some reason he longed to feel Cas's arms around him. He paused at that last thought. Huh. Must be the venom messing with his brain.

"Doc, Jenny, I can't thank you guys enough. I wish there was some way I could pay you…" James waved him off.

"Don't worry, Dean. Pay me back by taking care of yourself." He stepped over to his desk and wrote some things on a pad of paper. Tearing the pages off, he stepped over to Dean. "Here's your prescription; make sure you finish it! And my phone number in case you run into any issues. Please don't hesitate to call me."

Dean accepted the papers with a nod of his head. "Thanks. And tell Frank thanks as well Jenny." He slipped on his boots, frowning when he needed Cas's help. Stepping out the door, he grinned happily when he saw his baby waiting for him. "You found her! Thanks Cas!"

"Of course, Dean," Cas replied, helping Dean into the car. The moment they were around the bend in the road, Cas turned onto the side of the road. Reaching over, he placed two fingers on Dean's forehead, removing the final traces of venom and inflammation. The relief that Dean felt was immediate. He leaned into the healing touch and closed his eyes in contentment. After a moment, he opened them, realizing Cas had yet to remove his fingers from his forehead.

Castiel was staring intently at Dean. When the hunter looked at him quizzically, he sighed and put his hand down. "I thought I had lost you," he explained. "I did not like that feeling. You…mean a lot to me, Dean."

Dean felt his face flush. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Ummm, thanks, Cas, you mean a lot to me too, buddy," he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Now let me drive my car." He opened his car door and stepped out as Cas shifted over to the passenger seat.

"You should phone Sam. He was worried about you as well." Castiel commented with a pointed look in Dean's direction.

Dean glanced over at his passenger as he pulled back onto the road. "Yeah yeah. When is that guy not worried?" Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone and dialed his brother. "Hey Sammy!"

"Dean! How are you feeling? Cas came to get you?" The relief in Sam's voice was obvious.

"Yeah, he did. I'm fine now, thanks to Cas's angel mojo. Listen, I need you to look up something for me. See what you can find out about a witch named La Lechuza." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Castiel looking at him. 'I'll explain later,' he mouthed to Cas.

"La Lechuza? Leave it to you to find a case on your deathbed, Dean."

"I'm serious, Sammy. Jenny, one of the people who picked me up, said that she's already killed someone. I don't know if there's any truth in this or if it is just an urban legend, but I'm not about to let any more people die if this is our kind of thing."

"Alright, I'll see what I can find out. You heading back this way?" Dean could hear Sam rustling around, probably clearing space for his laptop on the tiny motel table.

Dean nodded his head, even though Sam couldn't see him. "Yeah, I'm gonna stop and check out the town first though, see if I can figure out any more about this witch," he said.

"Be careful, Dean. I know how you are," cautioned Sam, a guarded tone entering his voice.

"Sammy, I'm always careful! Besides, Cas is here." Dean reached over and clapped a hand on Castiel's shoulder, causing the angel to look at him in concern.

"Dean, you are not supposed to remove both hands from the steering wheel," the angel commented.

Dean could hear the smirk in Sam's voice. "Yeah, Dean, I thought you knew how to drive."

"Bite me, bitch"

"Jerk."

~*~*SPN~*~*

Sam hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment. Dean and Cas alone. In an enclosed space. For several hours. He snorted in amusement. Perhaps something good would come out of this night after all. Flipping open his laptop, he proceeded to find out what he could about this La Lechuza.


	2. Chapter 2

**Flirtin' With Disaster - Part Two**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything Supernatural.**

"Stop starin' at me, Cas, I'm fine."

Castiel looked away. "I am sorry Dean. I just still cannot believe how close I – we came to losing you."

Dean shifted in his seat. These warm feelings he was getting whenever Cas expressed concern over him, or even whenever he thought about the angel, were starting to weird him out. "Were you watching me at the Doc's house, Cas? 'Cause I could've sworn I felt you there. It was kind of strange."

Castiel looked over at Dean sharply. "Yes, I was. You should not have been able to sense me though. I thought I saw you look around when I arrived."

"Huh," was all Dean said before lapsing into silence. The rest of the drive to Alice was relatively quiet, not even Dean's mullet rock playing on the stereo. The two occupants of the car were both lost in their own thoughts.

~*~*SPN~*~*

They pulled into the town of Alice around dinnertime. Dean looked around as he drove down the main street. Now that Cas had healed him from the venom and its effects, he noticed just how hungry he was. A greasy burger and fries sounded heavenly right now.

Pulling the Impala into the parking lot of a small diner, Dean looked over at his friend. "I'm gonna grab a bite to eat. Can't learn anything on an empty stomach!" He parked the car and got out. "Coming?"

Cas nodded and opened the door. He followed Dean into the diner, and slid down across from him in the booth. The waitress came to take their order after a few minutes, giving Dean an appraising look as she did so. She took Dean's order, and turned to leave when Cas declined to eat.

"So, Cas, you ever hear of this Lechuza thing?" Dean asked as he took a sip of his coffee, savouring the taste.

Castiel shook his head. "No, I can't say that I have. Although I am familiar with much of the world's evil, there are things that are uncommon enough for even us angels to not be made aware of."

Dean nodded his head as though that was the response he had been expecting. "Great; that means more research for Sammy boy."

They sat there in companionable silence for a few minutes as they waited for Dean's food to arrive, before Castiel decided to question Dean about what happened.

The hunter shrugged his shoulders. "Don't remember too much really. Something came loose in the Impala, so I pulled over to the side of the road to fix it. Which I did, because, you know, I'm awesome like that," Dean cocked his head proudly as he praised himself, causing Cas to smile. "Then the flashlight rolled under the car, and when I went to grab it, wham!" Dean smacked his hand down loudly on the table for emphasis, causing the diner's other few patrons to jump and glare in their direction. Dean ignored them and continued. "Saw it was a snake, and I just froze. Finally the bastard slithered away and I managed to get to my phone before everything started getting too hazy." Dean's gaze seemed to unfocus for a second in remembered pain, before coming back to himself. "Then I remember Frank and Jenny finding me and next thing I knew I was waking up at the Doc's place with an I.V. sticking out of me."

The waitress picked that moment to come and drop off Dean's food and refill his coffee, and Dean nodded at her in appreciation. Without waiting for Castiel's response to his story, he grabbed his burger and took a big bite, eyes rolling heavenward in pleasure.

Castiel watched in fascination as Dean ate his food. He had seen the human eat many times before, but this was perhaps the first time he had actually watched him eat. He watched as those luscious lips wrapped around a fry, swallowed as he saw that tongue dart out to catch a drip of ketchup. What was wrong with him? This was Dean, for crying out loud! He should not feel so inclined to study the way Dean's throat moved as he swallowed. Yet he could not help it. Castiel was becoming deeply invested in everything about his hunter. Dean turned to the waitress when she came to take away his plate and shamelessly began flirting. Cas gritted his teeth at the sight.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw Cas tense and glare at the waitress. Luckily she was too enamoured by Dean to notice. He turned towards his friend with a questioning look on his face, dismissing the waitress without hesitation and ignoring her put out huff as she walked away. "Everything all right Cas?" he asked.

Castiel nodded curtly. "Everything is fine, Dean. We should get going, we need to see what we can learn about this witch." With those words he stood up and walked towards the door, not waiting for Dean.

"Oookay, he could have at least waited for me to get some pie," Dean muttered under his breath as he tossed some bills on the table to pay for his meal. He got up and followed the angel from the diner. He caught up to Cas at the car. "You sure you're okay?" he questioned again as he walked around to the driver's side. Castiel just nodded before climbing in. Dean paused before he got in, wondering if his friend was being honest with him. After a moment he shrugged his shoulders to himself. Cas was a brutally honest guy, and Dean doubted he even knew how to lie. Besides, wasn't lying a sin? He would hardly expect an angel to commit a sin. Pushing thoughts of his friend's odd behaviour out of his mind, he sat down in the driver's seat.

Dean started the car and glanced at his passenger. "So, I'm thinking library? Check out the town records? If this witch has been around for a while, people are bound to have some sort of record for it."

Cas nodded in agreement. He would happily pour over records with Dean if it would help get his mind off of thoughts of Dean flirting with that woman. He did not know why that suddenly upset him. He had seen Dean flirt with countless women, and only recently it had begun to bother him. He was so lost in thought that he did not even realize Dean was talking to him until he felt a smack on his shoulder. He turned to apologize, and saw Dean glance at him with a strange look on his face.

"Dude, what's up with you?" Dean asked. "You've been acting weird…well weirder than normal since you came to get me."

"I am sorry, Dean. I assure you that I am well; I was just lost in thought. What were you saying?"

If Dean noticed Castiel's deflection, he didn't comment. Instead he replied, "Just said to give Sam a call, see if he's been able to learn anything."

Castiel pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sam's number before putting the phone on speaker. After a couple rings, Sam's voice came through. "Hey Cas, how's Dean?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Sammy."

"Oh, hey Dean. How is he, Cas?" Sam asked in blatant disregard for Dean's answer. He knew that Dean's idea of fine was often times a far cry from the normal person's concept of fine. Dean threw up a hand in exasperation at the same time that Cas told Sam that yes, Dean was well.

"So much trust, Sammy," Dean growled. A snort was heard through the phone at Dean's comment. Dean decided the subject needed a change from his health. "What have you found out about this bitch?"

"It says here that she is a cross between an owl or other large bird and a woman."

"Seriously?" Dean asked. "How the fuck does that happen?"

"I know, weird right? Well, there's a couple different theories on her origin. Some say she's not a witch at all, rather a vengeful spirit. Others say she was a woman who sold her sold to the devil for supernatural powers and immortality."

"Great, so we don't even know what she is. That's just fan-fucking-tastic." Dean pulled into the library parking lot and turned off the car.

"Either way, Dean, we can't hurt it with bullets or knives."

"So, what can hurt it?" Castiel asked curiously. Even with all of his knowledge, he had never before heard of this lechuza.

"Salt, for sure. And, umm…." Sam trailed off.

"What?" Dean snapped. "What else hurts this thing we don't even know what it is?"

"Swearing. In Spanish." The smirk in Sam's voice was obvious, and even Castiel couldn't help a smile.

There was a pause, and then Dean burst out laughing. "Did you just say swear at it in Spanish?" At Sam's confirmation, Dean cackled even harder.

The sight of Dean laughing made Castiel smile even wider. He loved the way Dean's green eyes lit up when he laughed, and how his very soul seemed to shine even brighter. Cas decided at that moment that Dean needed to laugh more. He realized that the Winchester's life did not include much to laugh about, but he would find a way to make Dean laugh more.

When Dean's laughter finally subsided, he questioned Sam on how to find the lechuza. "I don't know how to draw her out yet," Sam replied, "but she draws you out by making a sound like a baby crying."

"Okay, so so far we know that this owl-witch-lady-ghost thing sounds like a baby, doesn't like salt, and is scared of people saying 'fuck' but only in Spanish. That sum it up pretty well?"

"Uhhhh, ya, so far," Sam replied.

"Great. Sounds fun! We'll check out the town records and then head back your way. Keep looking for any more information," said Dean. "And see if you can get a hold of Bobby. Maybe he has some info that can help."

"Already tried Bobby, no answer there, but I'll keep trying."

"You do that, geek-boy. Later."

"Later, Dean. Cas." There was a click, and the line went silent.

Castiel pocketed his phone and glanced over at Dean, who chuckled and shook his head. "I can tell already this will be an interesting hunt. Come on, Cas, let's see what we can find out." With that Dean got out of the car and swaggered towards the library's front door. Cas sat in the car, admiring the view, until Dean glanced back over his shoulder and called out, "Yo! Featherbrain! You coming?" Cas scrambled out of the car and followed Dean into the library.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Two hours later Dean pushed his chair back from the computer in frustration. Castiel look up from the newspaper article he was reading and raised an eyebrow at Dean. "What is wrong?" he asked.

"Fuck this. I thought this was a huge thing here. Some big urban legend crap. All I have managed to find is some crappy article that says someone saw the witch. That's it. Didn't say anything about where or anything!" " Dean growled. "This is why Sammy does the damn research. He can find anything out, I'm just the muscle," he paused, then added with a grin, "and the looks."

"Maybe we are just looking in the wrong places?" Cas suggested, not adding that he in fact agreed that Dean most definitely had the looks.

Dean whirled around and glared at Cas. He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed out a breath. "Well, oh mighty angel of the Lord, where shall we find the information we seek?" he snarked.

"I was merely suggesting that the library of a small town may not have the information we are looking for, Dean," replied the angel calmly. "We should go meet up with Sam and see if he has learned anything else."

Dean nodded. "Ya, alright. Let's get out of here. I hate libraries. They're usually run by little old ladies who are obsessed with quiet."

Castiel put the articles back into the proper boxes and helped Dean place them back on the shelf. Dean pulled out his phone and shot Sam a quick text to let him know they were on their way back to the motel, and then the angel and the hunter left the library and the town of Alice behind.

~*~*SPN~*~*

"Honey! I'm home!" Dean called as he opened the door to the motel room and walked in, followed closely by his angel.

Sam looked up from where he sat at the tiny motel table. The table was too small for his large frame, and he had to sit twisted in the seat. Dean chuckled at the sight. "Learn anything new and interesting while I've been gone Gigantor?" he asked his brother.

Sam stood and stretched his legs. "Hey. Actually, ya. I managed to get a hold of Bobby. He had a bit of info for us. Apparently this witch is a, and I quote, 'real nasty piece of work'."

Dean shrugged. "She's scared of cursing. How bad can she be?"

Sam held up his hand and ticked off points. "For one, she can summon and control storms. Two, superhuman strength. Three, the ability to shapeshift."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Sam, all you had to say was pretty bad. Did Bobby say how to kill her?"

"Salt repels her. And so will a shotgun, if we use the engraved bullets. Did you find anything at the library in town?"

"Dick fuck all." Dean threw himself down on the bed, before glancing up at the angel who remained silent and standing by the door. "You sticking around, Cas?" he asked. He hoped he would. The thought of the angel leaving did not sit right with him. Cas turned and looked at Dean, who stared right back.

Sam began to fidget uncomfortably. He wasn't sure if he should leave these two alone and get his own room, or step in-between them so that they could all focus on the hunt. No matter what though, Sam decided that from now on they were getting two rooms. He pulled his phone out, and he mumbled an excuse under his breath about needing to call Bobby and hurriedly left the room.

Dean shook back to himself as Sam made his break from the room. "Sam?" he questioned as the door closed.

"He said he was going to call Bobby," Castiel stated without drawing his eyes away from Dean.

Dean cleared his throat awkwardly. "Oh. Yeah. Okay." He stood and walked over to peruse Sam's notes. "So, we know what can hurt this thing, but not how to find it," he flipped to a page of notes and scanned through it. "Oh hell no!"

Cas moved over to stand behind Dean and looked over his shoulder at the page he was holding. Dean bit his lip over the automatic comment on personal space. It was rather nice having the angel so close. Instead, he waved the paper over his shoulder at Cas and complained, "Sam didn't say she attacks cars on the highway! This bitch can come after me all she wants, but nobody hurts Baby!"

~*~*SPN~*~*

"Sam? What are ya calling me back for already? I told you I would let you know if I found out anything new," Bobby said gruffly.

Sam continued to wander away from the hotel room. "Uhhh yeah, sorry. Just needed an excuse to get out of the room."

"What? Why?"

"Dean and Cas are doing the staring thing again. I just wish they would admit how they feel to each other and get it over with," Sam answered.

Bobby chuckled. "Dean? Admit anything resembling feelings? Good luck with that."

"Yeah, I know. And I am pretty sure Cas has no clue how to either. I mean, the only thing he has ever loved before has been God."

"Boy, it doesn't matter how many opportunities we throw their way; if they can't admit it to themselves, they will never be able to admit it to each other."

Sam nodded in agreement even though Bobby couldn't see him. "I know, I know," he cleared his throat. "So I guess you don't have any more information on this witch for us, hey?"

"I'm looking right now, Sam. There isn't too much info, most of it all says the same thing. Controlling storms, supernatural compulsion, etc.. She appears to be similar to Banshees, if someone hears her outside the house then there will be a death in the household. Another reference says she prefers attacking drunks. It's kind of all over the place."

"Drunks hey? Well, that will make Dean happy." Bobby snorted in reply. "He already cackled like a hyena when he heard she's scared off by swearing in Spanish."

"I'll bet," Bobby retorted. "Listen, I'll keep digging, see if I can find anything else." There was a brief pause, before he added, "Give me call and let me know of any more news on the lovebird front."

Sam chuckled. Sometimes Bobby was worse than a woman with wanting gossip. "Will do, Bobby. And thanks." He hung up his phone and looked around. He had wandered about a block from the motel, and was standing across from a coffee shop. He figured he could do with a little caffeine, and maybe he would grab Dean one and bring it back to him…maybe in an hour or two.

~*~*SPN~*~*

When he walked back into the motel room an hour and a half later, Sam noticed two things. One, his brother was half naked and sprawled out on the bed closest to the door, a sheet of paper with some words written in Spanish lay beside him. Two, Castiel, angel of the Lord, was nowhere in sight. Sam stepped over to the table and placed the cup of coffee he had bought for his brother down. When he turned back to the bed, he saw his brother watching him from a half-opened eye.

"Hey, Dean," he said. "Where's Cas?" Sam asked his brother as he sat down on his own bed to pull off his shoes.

"Sam," Dean acknowledged. "He uhhh…had to go do angel-y stuff. That coffee for me?" At Sam's nod of confirmation, Dean sat up and groaned. "What the hell took you so long? Thought you were just going to make a phone call?" he walked over to the table and opened the lid of the coffee, savouring the smell that floated up out of the Styrofoam cup.

Sam looked up and raised an eyebrow at Dean. "Angel-y stuff?" he asked. "And I was on the phone, I just decided to stop for a coffee as well. You're welcome, by the way."

Dean waved his hand in Sam's direction. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Sammy." Taking another sip of the rich brown liquid, he turned to his brother. "So, how are we going to go after this bitch?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Bobby did let me know one more piece of info that you will like."

Dean arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

"She has a tendency to be drawn towards people who have had more than a few beers," he said.

A grin split Dean's face. "Awesome! To the bar, Sammy! To the bar!"

"Shouldn't we wait for Cas?" Sam asked. Dean had a way of attracting trouble, and with a bird-woman with super strength on the loose, Sam didn't want to take any chances.

There was a slight hesitation, but then Dean replied, "Nah. Who knows how long this angel business is going to take. Besides, we got our special bullets ready, right?"

Sam nodded in agreement as he followed his brother out the door, wishing that he could shake the feeling that something would happen if the angel wasn't there.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Dean glanced around the bar at the local people. There were more than a few hot chicks hanging around, a couple even tried making eyes at him, but for some reason he just wasn't interested. Turning back to his beer, he drained it in one gulp, then signaled the bartender for one more.

The bartender put the bottle down in front of him, then looked at Sam. "You're DD tonight, right?" At Sam's confirming nod, the bartender gave a satisfied humph then walked off to serve another patron.

Sam turned to his brother. "You sure you don't want to wait for Cas?"

Dean rolled his eyes and took a long pull off his beer. "Yeah, man. I am. And yes, for the tenth time, I'm sure I am going to be the bait. Too late anyways, I'm already five deeper than you," he replied with a grin.

"Well, maybe we should stop then. We don't want you too drunk man, just in case."

"Awww, Sammy's worried about me! All good bro, I got this." Dean finished his beer and belched. Sam wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Let do this!" Dean slid some bills onto the bar top and swaggered towards the door.

Sam smiled at the bartender and held up the keys before turning to follow his brother.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Sam drove the Impala along the back highway, forest close on either side. "Keep your eyes on the sky, Dean. Apparently we need to watch for freak thunderstorm clouds starting to form."

"I see a freak. He's driving my car." Dean said from the passenger seat. Sam just rolled his eyes. Yup. His brother had a few too many.

"Look for the clouds, Dean," was all Sam said in reply. After about ten minutes of driving the highway, Sam was starting to think they had the wrong area. He was just about to suggest as much to his brother when roiling black clouds appeared in the sky to his left. He pointed them out to Dean, who seemed to come back to himself with the prospect of a hunt. He pulled the car far over to the side of the road and turned off the engine.

"Let's get our stuff together and get going, Sam," Dean said, climbing out of the car and heading for the trunk. Sam followed, and they both grabbed their guns they had loaded with the engraved bullets, and a flask of holy water.

Sam pulled out his cell phone, thinking they should at least leave Cas a message to let him know where they were. He flipped it open and frowned when he saw that he had no reception. "We're in a dead-zone," Sam said to Dean, holding up his cell so Dean would understand.

His brother shrugged. "Not much we can do about it now. Come on, I really want to see what something that's half bird and half woman even looks like!" He began heading in the direction of the storm, whistling as he walked.

Sam turned and followed Dean down the path, stopping occasionally to mark a tree so that they wouldn't get lost. He tried to stay close enough that he could help his brother if he was needed, but far back enough that the lechuza would hopefully not see him.

They had been walking for about twenty minutes when Dean stopped. He cocked his head as though he was listening to something over the thunder. The storm was close enough now that, while it wasn't raining on them yet, thunder and lightning were pretty much a constant. If it wasn't supernatural in origin, the brothers would have been awestruck by the sight.

Sam strained his ears to see if he could hear whatever it was that Dean heard, but to no avail. Without warning his brother spun toward the right and rushed off through the trees. Sam cursed and hurried to catch up to Dean. Suddenly, he remembered what he had learned about the lechuza's M.O.. Baby cries, supernatural compulsions…..Fuck. He needed to catch up to Dean, and fast.

~*~*SPN~*~*

The lechuza swooped down from the trees, a piercing shriek leaving her lips, sounding nothing like the cry of a human child from before. Dean looked up, and even in his slightly inebriated state knew he was in a heap of trouble.

Dean frantically tried to remember the Spanish curses he went over earlier before Sam and him had hit up the bar, but his mind drew a blank. "Shit," he cursed. Apparently English swears didn't work as well as Spanish. The witch kept on coming. He swung his gun up, but it was too late. A choked cry of agony was the only sound he was able to make as her talons gripped his arm and shoulder, and hauled him into the air. The pain was excruciating, and he was dimly aware of Sam calling his name from somewhere below him. His eyes that he had clenched shut when the witch grabbed him pried open and looked down. He immediately wished he hadn't. He saw the ground receding, and inhaled sharply as nausea coiled in his gut.

Then his eyes landed on his gun that was still clenched in a white knuckled grip in his free hand. His father had trained him to not let go of his weapon no matter what, and he was grateful for that lesson now. He bit his lip. The fall was going to hurt, but not as much as being eaten alive would. He raised the gun over his head, and fired.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Sam saw everything happen as though it was in slow motion. He burst through the trees after Dean and his mouth dropped in astonishment. This was exactly why he said they should wait for Castiel, he just knew something bad would happen. His heart leapt into his throat as he saw the witch snatch his brother off the ground.

He ran as fast as he could, screaming his brother's name as his long legs pumped in tandem with his racing heart. He skidded to a stop underneath his brother and the lechuza, and stared upwards through the trees in shock as he saw his brother raise his gun. "Dean! No!" There was a sharp rapport of a gun being fired, followed by an ear piercing shriek, and then his brother was falling towards him. He had enough time to wince in sympathy when Dean hit several tree branches on his way down, and then Dean was upon him.

Sam braced himself to catch as much of Dean's weight as he could, but the sharp pain that lanced through him when his brother landed in his arms stole his breath. He pushed the pain aside and lowered his unconscious brother to the ground. While part of him was thankful the branches had slowed Dean's descent; he grimaced at the possible damage they might have caused. There was a gash over his eye, but although it was bleeding steadily, it did not appear too deep.

First things first, he had to stop the bleeding from where the witch grabbed him; Dean's left side was awash in crimson. The hunter ripped off the tattered remains of Dean's shirt, frowning at the deep grooves and puncture marks where the lechuza had gripped him, the life-giving crimson fluid steadily leaking out. "I got ya, Dean," Sam whispered under his breath as he tore of his own shirt, hissing at the pain in his shoulder. He shred his shirt into strips, laying them aside until he had cleaned the wound. Then he pulled out his flask of holy water, pausing only to murmur "I'm sorry," to Dean as he upended the contents over the wounds.

Dean's eyes snapped open as the water hissed and fizzled in the wounds. His mouth opened in a soundless cry as his feet and hands scrabbled for purchase on the forest floor. Sam ignored his own pain as he lifted Dean's upper body so he could finish cleaning the wounds before he threw the flask to the side. He continued whispering his apologies into Dean's ear, as his brother's breaths came in harsh pants against his chest. Twin tears leaked out of the corner of his eyes and left wet trails down his cheeks.

"Sammy?" Dean croaked. "Why're you crying like a girl?"

Sam slowly released Dean, keeping a hand by him to make sure he was able to remain sitting. He choked out a sound resembling a laugh, but felt more like a sob. "Hey man. Thought I lost you there. Don't ever do that again," he said, reaching over to grab the torn strips of cloth. He began bandaging Dean's shoulder. "These need stitches, but the supplies are back in the Impala. We need to get them, unless we magically have cell phone reception and can get a hold of Cas. Do you think you can make it there?"

Dean hissed as Sam wrapped his shoulder and arm. "'M fine Sam," he replied, ignoring his brother's pointed look. "Did I get the bitch?"

Sam paused in his ministrations. "I know your suicidal stunt hit it," he said, "but I don't know if you killed it. I was too busy trying to save your falling ass."

Dean grinned despite the pain. Sam suppressed a shiver; the sight of his brother grinning like that with half his face coated in a crimson mask was downright maniacal. "Awww, Sammy, my hero." The grin fell away from Dean's face as soon as Sam groaned in discomfort as he reached around Dean's back. "Sam? What happened? Are you hurt?"

"It's nothing Dean, just buggered the back of my shoulder a bit when you landed is all."

Dean paled at the thought of his brother getting hurt on his account. "Let me see," he demanded.

"No. It's fine, really. Now sit still and let me finish wrapping this. You've lost a lot of blood," Sam replied. Despite Dean's repeated attempts to push Sam away so that he could check out his shoulder, Sam managed to finish binding Dean's wounds. "Okay, let's get you up so we can get out of here." He reached out with his good shoulder and gripped Dean's hand, and pulled. He wasn't prepared for the bellow of pain that left Dean's mouth when he got his feet under him. Sam almost let go but caught himself in time.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed, at the same time that Dean let loose a string of curses. "What's wrong?"

"Fuck, my leg! Fuck! What th-" Dean broke off with a groan, his hand reached down to grip at his leg. "It didn't hurt a second ago, what the hell?"

"Let me have a look Dean," Sam said. Dean shook his head frantically. "Dean, show me your leg," Sam ordered in his best impression of their father's military voice. Dean's head shot up and he glared at Sam, but slowly lowered his hand.

Sam pulled up Dean's pant leg and winced. There was a massive bruise starting to form on Dean's lower leg. "Shit Dean, you must have hit a branch pretty hard there when you fell. I really need to get you out of here; that bruise might indicate a break, or a fracture." Dean grit his teeth and moved to try again. He cried out and fell back.

"Stop trying to stand on it right now!" Sam scolded. "Let me find something to use as a splint first for fucks sake!" Sam moved to scour the bushes for some sort of straight sticks he could use to bind Dean's leg, all the while keeping an eye on his stubborn brother to make sure he stayed in one place. "Stubborn asshole," he grumbled.

Locating a couple pieces he figured were the proper size and shape, he made his way back to his brother. As he was tying the sticks to Dean's leg, his brother spoke up above him. "I have come to the decision," he began, pausing for emphasis before continuing, "That hide-and-go-seek angel sigils suck donkey dick." As Sam looked up from splinting the leg he saw Dean's blood covered face, and taking in his bandaged arm and shoulder, he was inclined to agree.

~*~*SPN~*~*

The walk back to the car was torture for Dean. Even though Sam was taking a significant amount of his weight, every step shot spikes of agony up his leg. The gashes from the lechuza's claws continued to bleed slowly but steadily, weakening him even further. Add in various other bruises and small cuts from his trip through the branches, and Dean was downright miserable. And he wasn't afraid to voice his opinion. Loudly. And often.

"Fucking bitch bird! If she was in front of me right now, I'd rip all of her goddamn feathers out and shove them down her throat before blasting her away!"

"Jesus fuck! Watch it Sammy!"

"Why the fuck did we have to go into the woods where there's zero cell reception! I fucking hate the woods!"

Sam was taking deep breathes to calm himself. He knew how his brother reacted to stress and pain, he had plenty of experience. But even his patience had limits.

When Dean began swearing loudly at the moon for being 'too fucking dim to see anything', Sam decided he had had enough. He halted the two of them in their tracks, and turned to his brother. "Dean, I know you're upset and in pain right now," Dean opened his mouth to declare he wasn't upset, he was fine, but was stopped by Sam continuing even louder, "but if you don't shut-up right now, I swear to God, I will tie you naked to that tree over there and leave you here overnight!"

Dean stared at his brother in disbelief. Sam wouldn't do that….would he? He was wearing bitchface number sixteen, so the possibility was definitely there. Maybe he was being a bit…vocal. Finally he grinned and attempted to deflect Sam with humour. "Gee Sammy, while I appreciate that you're into that sort of kink, you're just not my type."

Sam snorted. "No, you lean more towards the trenchcoat-wearing-angel type, don't you?"

Dean felt his ears heat up as he gaped at Sam. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. Come on," he tried to pull his brother forwards, but despite the pain the action caused, Dean planted himself firmly and yanked his arm out of Sam's grip.

"What the fuck did you say that for Sam?"

Sam held up his hands in a gesture of peace and calmly replied, "Relax Dean, I was…I was just making a joke, that's all. You know, because of how close the two of you are." He wasn't joking, not really, but Dean didn't need to know that.

Dean continued to glare at Sam. In truth, Sam's words hit a little too close to home. The feelings he was getting lately when he was around Cas, or heck, even thinking about the angel, were an unknown territory for him. The emotions both scared him and drew him in like a moth to the flame. "Yeah, well, that's not funny," Dean said for lack of a better reply. "Now can we get moving? My leg and shoulder are killing me, and I would really like to get out of here in case that bitch isn't quite as dead as we would hope."

"Yeah, let's go." Sam went back to help his brother, and the two of them continued their trek to the car, and Dean managed to not complain too much for the rest of the hike.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Castiel sighed as he took in Dean's bloodied form. "Dean, why is it I am always having to patch you up?" he reprimanded softly as he touched two fingers to Dean's forehead. The blood and the injuries vanished, and Dean sat up and met the blue eyes of his angel.

The hunters had made it back to the Impala, but it took the drive back to the motel before they were able to reach the angel by cell phone. Cas arrived in the room just as Dean was about to pass out from blood loss. Sam was grateful his brother had managed to stay awake this long; it would have been hell to try to carry him with his shoulder buggered the way it was. That too was a quick fix thanks to the angel.

"Aww, Cas, admit it. You do it 'cause you love me," Dean responded cheekily.

"I do it because I love you," Castiel replied solemnly. Dean felt the heat rush up to his face, as Sam began to cough.

Dean turned to glare at Sam. Great, this would just add fuel to Sam's 'jokes'. "Shut up, Sam!"

Sam grinned at his obviously embarrassed brother. "Sorry Dean, I just thought that was cute is all."

"Shut up Sam!"

Castiel looked between the two brothers, his head tilted in confusion. "I don't understand. Did I say something wrong?"

Dean opened his mouth to reply, but Sam beat him to it with a big grin on his face. He clapped Castiel on the shoulder as he said, "Don't worry about it Cas. There are just certain intricacies of the human language that you are unaware of." He turned to his brother and almost burst out laughing a second time at the look on Dean's face. "Now that you're healed up we should go back and see if we can find the lechuza's body. I marked the trail entrance we used when we went out there so it should be pretty simple to find it again."

"I am coming with you this time," Castiel said, his voice brooking no argument.

"Good idea Cas, it seems whenever you aren't with us, Dean manages to get himself hurt in one form or another."

The elder Winchester glared at his brother, but didn't reply. It certainly seemed that lately his luck had been running a little short. Having his angel of the Lord around probably wasn't a bad idea.

~*~*SPN~*~*

The three of them arrived at the spot where Sam had parked the Impala the night before. Sam found the trail entrance he had marked relatively quickly. "So we walked for about fifteen minutes or so, and when she grabbed Dean she flew straight up rather than away. So I'm guessing if you did manage to kill her, Dean, I imagine her body will be at least relatively close to where you landed."

Dean nodded and started walking through the trees, swatting at the occasional bug that flew too close to his face for comfort. "And watch out for snakes. Stupid, fucking snakes," he called out over his shoulder. "I think I hate snakes more than rats," he muttered to himself.

A few minutes later, the trio stopped as Castiel held out his hand. "There is death here," he said. He turned slowly in a circle, eyes scanning into the trees. He stopped and pointed in a direction. "Over there," he said.

Slowly, they crept through the bushes. Sam pushed aside a plant and grimaced. "Uh, guys? I think we found her. And I think it's safe to say that she's dead."

Cas and Dean walked over to where Sam stood. Dean winkled his nose in disgust. Before them lay the body of the lechuza. Her one wing had been almost completely shorn off by the bullet, and now lay at an odd angle to the rest of her body. Blood lay in a halo around the wound. Her face, beautiful in an odd kind of way, seemed peaceful, almost as though she had welcomed death. Perhaps she had.

"Well, at least with an angel around we don't have to worry about the trees catching fire," Dean shrugged. "Let's burn this bitch so we can get out of here. I friggin' hate Texas. It's got snakes and witch bitches." He began pouring the salt all over the body. "Cas, hand me the accelerant, will ya? Cas?"

Castiel was staring at something on the ground. "What's up, Cas?" Dean stepped over and tried to figure out what Cas was looking at, but didn't see anything unusual.

After a moment, pained blue eyes looked up at Dean. "She has your blood on her." And then Dean understood what Castiel was looking at. The witches taloned feet lay stretched out underneath her, coated in blood and gore. Dean shivered as he remembered what it felt like to have those very talons rip into his flesh as though he was made of butter.

Suddenly Cas growled as he upended the can of accelerant over her body, throwing the empty can has hard as he could at the lechuza's head. Sam and Dean both cringed at the wet pop her head made as the can hit it with the strength of an angel behind it.

They stood for a minute in silence, Cas's heavy and angered breathing the only sound. "Well then," Dean said. "Adios, bitch." He lit the match and watched passively as her body caught fire. She would never again terrorize the unsuspecting people of Texas.


	3. Chapter 3

**Flirtin' With Disaster - Part Three**

 **Disclaimer: Once again, you recognize it, I don't own it.**  
 **A/N: The term I used, "bond mate", I have seen used in several stories. I don't know who came up with the term originally, but if anyone knows, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!**

"Dean, come on! We need to check out, we only have a half hour and you still need to get packed!" Sam threw his shoe at the lump of Dean that was still under the blankets. Dean groaned and burrowed further into the covers. "Dean!"

"Fuck off Sammy." A muffled voice growled from beneath the blankets.

Sam sighed. His brother was never a morning person, but this day seemed to be off to a rougher start than usual. "What's up with you, Dean?" he asked.

Finally, Dean pushed the quilt off of his face. He glared at his brother through a single half-open eye. "Nothing, I'm fine. Now leave me alone."

The younger Winchester raised an eyebrow at Dean. "If you're so fine then get your lazy ass out of bed and help me finish packing. Or did you want me to see if I can book the room for another night?"

"Yeah, okay. Do that." With those words Dean burrowed back under, effectively shutting Sam out.

"Ooookay," Sam mouthed to himself. He stood up and grabbed his wallet off the table before leaving to see if he could book the room for one more night.

He returned ten minutes later to see that his brother had not moved from his spot on the bed. "I booked it for another night, Dean." No reply. He sat down on his bed and quietly turned on the television, careful not to wake the room's other occupant. He needn't have worried.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Three days later and Sam's uneasiness about Dean had continued to build. He had been sleeping a whole lot ever since that day Sam rebooked the motel room. When he was awake, he spent the whole time complaining. Sam tried to ask him what was wrong, and almost got punched for his worry.

Cas fared a little better. At least he got mumbled responses instead of fists flying at his face. Dean would just grumble that he "felt like crap," and roll over and go back to sleep. The angel assured Sam that there was no bodily injury on Dean, but the way Castiel still hovered worriedly over Dean's sleeping form did nothing to ease Sam's own fears.

Sam decided it would be best to head towards Bobby's salvage yard. If something supernatural was occurring, or even if Dean was just sick, he would recover better in the familiar walls of Bobby's place than a dingy motel room. He called up his friend and made the arrangements. Sam asked if Castiel could just fly them there, but he was met with a negative response.

"Angel flight is hard on a human's body. With Dean becoming ill, I do not wish to compromise that." Sam supposed he could understand that.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Just as they pulled into Kansas, Dean developed a fever. Sam watched his brother in concern. Dean tossed and turned on the bed, a frown etched onto his face even in sleep. Sam reached over and placed his hand on Dean's forehead. He was getting warmer. When Dean's temperature got high enough, he tended to be delusional. Sam prayed it would not get to that point.

He chewed his lip, coming to a decision. He had to try to call Cas to come back. Dean would be pissed, but Sam did not know what to do anymore. It was either call Castiel or haul his protesting brother to the ER, and he would rather deal with a pissed off Dean in a motel than a pissed off Dean in a hospital any day of the week. The angel had hesitantly left a couple days ago after receiving a summons from Heaven, and although he had obviously not wanted to leave his vigil over Dean's bed, he did not really have much of a choice. He had made Sam promise to call him if there were any changes in Dean's condition.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed the number of his friend as he stood to wander over to the window. It rang for a minute, and then Cas's voicemail picked up. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Sam smiled slightly. The angel's voicemail was quite entertaining. Leaving a message to call back ASAP, Sam hung up and ran a hand over his face. He would give Cas an hour, hopefully that would be enough time for the angel to get his voicemail, and then he was dragging Dean's stubborn ass to the hospital.

A low moan reached his ears. Was Dean waking up? Sam made it to the bed in a couple strides, and leaned over his brother, watching him carefully. His brother's eyes began to flutter open. "Alastair, stop…" At the breathy whisper that reached his ears, Sam felt his heart drop. It looked as though his earlier prayer had gone unanswered.

Suddenly Dean was moving. All traces of his earlier weakness were gone, replaced with the fight or flight response of a cornered animal. Without warning the fevered hunter threw his head forward, smashing it unceremoniously into Sam's, causing the younger man to curse and stumble backwards. Sam raised his hand to his nose, feeling the blood steadily leaking from it.

Dean scrambled off the bed and backed into the corner of the room between the wall and a nightstand, eyes glassy and wild as they saw horrors from his mind instead of his brother. He swung his arm out without taking his eyes off of his tormentor. His hand grasped something solid and heavy. It wasn't his knife, or even a gun, but it would do.  
Sam saw his brother grab the lamp off the nightstand, with a firm yank that pulled the plug from the wall. As Dean brandished it in front of him, Sam backed off, arms raised in a gesture of peace. "Dean, hey man, it's me. It's Sammy." Dean's eyes showed no hint of recognition. His brother was swaying where he stood, a fine sheen of sweat on his face. "C'mon bro, please. You're safe," he soothed.

"Stay t' fuck aw'y from me," Dean slurred venomously. "Can't m'ke me do it ag'n Alast'r…Won' slice 'em op'n…"

Oh god. Sam had dealt with his brother when he was delusional from a fever before, but not since Hell. Not since his Dean came back with such traumatic memories. He tried again to get through to his brother. "Dean, you're not there, okay? Castiel got you out. I'm not going to hurt you." At the mention of the angel, something in Dean's eyes flickered. He slowly started to lower the makeshift club he was holding. Sam's phone picked that moment to ring loudly, causing Dean to flinch back and raise his arm again.  
"Damn it," Sam cursed under his breath. He glanced at his phone where it lay on the bed. The ID read 'Cas'. The hunter slowly reached towards it, never taking his eyes off of Dean. "I'm just gonna answer my phone Dean, okay? I'll stay over here." Dean's eyes tracked Sam's movements, and his glassy eyes locked onto Sam's hand.

The phone had stopped ringing by the time Sam raised it up, so he pushed redial with his thumb, and then put it on speaker as Castiel's voice came through the speaker.  
"Sam? What's happening with Dean? I got your message-"

"Cas, you need to come to the motel. Now. Dean has a fever, and thinks he's back downstairs. Jefferson Lodge, room 7." There was a rustle of wings, and Castiel appeared in the room beside Sam. He looked over at Dean with concern.

"Dean," he said. Dean started at Cas's voice. "Dean, it's me, Castiel." Slowly the lamp that Dean had clutched in his hands began to lower. "I pulled you out of Hell Dean, do you not remember?"

"Cas?" Dean croaked. Sam stepped forward, and Dean flinched, halting Sam in his tracks. "Cas, help m'," he whispered. Almost in slow motion, his eyes rolled back into his head and his knees buckled. Castiel was there to catch him before he hit the ground.

"I'm here Dean, I have you," he whispered into his hunter's hair. Cas turned to Sam as he stood with Dean in his arms. "What happened to him? His fever wasn't nearly so bad when I got called away."

Sam shook his head as he followed the angel to one of the beds. "I don't know. He was saying he wasn't feeling too great last night. I went out to grab some more meds for him, and when I got back his fever had risen. It was so quick, I hadn't had time to dose him. I know you said you can't heal illnesses, but please Cas, isn't there something you can do for him?"

Cas shook his head. "Sam, you know I would help him in a heartbeat if I could. Dean is…special to me and seeing him like this…" Castiel trailed off and shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Why did he think he was back in Hell?" He looked down at the hunter he held in his arms, noting the way his freckles stood out on his face.

"He tends to get a bit….delusional when his fever hits a certain point. I'm just going to run down to the ice machine. We have to cool his temperature. Watch over him." Sam grabbed the ice bucket and started towards the door. Sam looked over his shoulder at his brother and the angel, and despite everything his mouth turned up in a small smile. Cas held Dean in his arms on one of the beds, and was running his hands through Dean's hair as he murmured words too soft for Sam to hear in his ear.

Castiel saw Sam leave out of the corner of his eye, but all of his attention was focused on the man in his arms. Dean's skin was hot to the touch, and droplets of sweat beaded on his forehead. Cas didn't know how to deal with sickness, being an angel of the Lord meant that he had never been sick himself, but he thought it might be prudent to remove Dean's articles of clothing to help him cool off. He sat the hunter upright and tugged off his sweat soaked t-shirt, before standing and laying Dean back down. Biting his lip, he stared at Dean's pants. Cas knew Dean would wonder who removed them, but it was not to be helped. He had to cool Dean off.

As he tugged the pants off, his eyes strayed up Dean's well-muscled body. His father had truly broken the mold when he created Dean. As his eyes roamed over Dean's arms, he paused. There was something strange on Dean's one arm. As Cas moved over to get a closer look, the door opened and Sam stepped into the room.

"How is he?" Sam asked as he strode over to the bed, frowning as he noticed Cas holding up Dean's arm. "What's wrong?"

"What is this?" Cas asked as he held up Dean's arm for Sam to look at. Sam peered at Dean's arm, and swore under his breath.

"Those are hives. I didn't notice them yesterday… This looks like some sort of an allergic reaction, but I've never heard of an allergic reaction causing fever and aches." Sam went over to the dresser and put some ice from the bucket into the Ziploc bags he dug out from his duffel. Then he went into the bathroom and filled the bags up with cold water before wrapping them in towels. "Put these under his armpits, in his groin, and on his head. Hopefully it will help reduce his fever. I'm going to keep trying to find out what's causing this." He quickly set up his laptop at the motel table and opened the web browser to start typing in Dean's newest symptoms. His eyes kept straying back to the two on the bed.

Cas perched beside his hunter and wished that he would wake up. He felt so useless, and wished not for the first time that his powers were at full strength. "Please, Dean," he whispered softly in his ear, "I need you. Please come back to me."

~*~*SPN~*~*

Several hours later, thanks to the efforts of Sam and Castiel, Dean's fever had abated. He moaned weakly and tossed his head to the side as his eyes fluttered open to reveal slits of green. "Cas?" he rasped, seeing the angel hovering over him. "What's happening? You okay?"

Castiel grinned at seeing Dean awake. Of course Dean would worry about others before himself. "I am perfectly fine, Dean. It is you that Sam and I have been worried about. You seem to have taken ill, and we are attempting to find out what is wrong. You and Sam were on your way to Bobby's, but you became too ill to travel, so Sam was forced to stop."

"'M fine Cas," Dean muttered and attempted to push himself up with a groan. Castiel watched him with concern, knowing his help would be unappreciated but wanting to be prepared to aide Dean just in case. Gritting his teeth against the aches in his joints, Dean managed to ease himself into a sitting position. He glanced around the room, noting that he was alone with Castiel. "Where's Sam?" he asked.

"He went to the store to get you some more medicine," the angel replied gently. He wanted to take advantage of the fact that he and Dean were alone to talk to him about his fevered hallucinations. He knew Dean would never admit any weakness in front of his brother. "Dean, do remember what you saw while you were fevered?" He saw Dean's barely perceptible flinch. Reaching a tentative hand out, he placed it on Dean's shoulder, ignoring the sharp inhale of breath at the contact.

"Sort of," Dean whispered. "Bits and pieces mostly, but I remember you…your voice."

Castiel smiled at the thought that Dean remembered him. The thought sent a warm thrill through his body. His smile disappeared when Dean shifted with a pained groan. The hunter lifted his hand to weakly scratch at the hives adorning his arm. "Stop that," Castiel admonished, as he pushed Dean's hand back down.

"But it's itchy as fuck Cas!"

"I know, Dean, but you must leave it alone. What else is bothering you? Your head? Stomach?" Cas prodded gently.

"My head. Your nursemaid routine is giving me a headache!" Dean snapped.

Castiel sat back at the verbal blow and narrowed his eyes at the petulant human. "I care for you, Dean. I will not apologise for that."

The hunter paused, then seemed to deflate at Castiel's words. "I'm sorry Cas. I'm not mad at you. I just don't feel good, okay? My joints feel like they belong to an old dude, I'm itchy, and I'm tired. Ask Sam, all that makes for a cranky Dean. Can't you poof me better?" Unconsciously his hand reached up to scratch at the hives again.

Shifting so he was closer to Dean, Cas took his hand in his own and let out a sigh. "As I told Sam earlier, Dean, illness is different from injury when it comes to healing. Certain illnesses I am able to heal, others I cannot. Until we know what is causing this, I am afraid there is nothing I can do."

He started rubbing small circles on the top of Dean's hand, hoping to distract him from the itch. Dean stiffened, but didn't pull away. Castiel marvelled at the feel of Dean's hand in his, at how it felt so right. The angel turned the hand over to examine the palm as he continued to rub the top, bringing it to his face to examine the calluses. Flicking his eyes to Dean's face, Castiel noted the intensity of Dean's gaze that was locked onto their hands and the slight flush in the cheeks that he doubted was leftover from the fever. Experimentally he brought Dean's hand to his lips and, never taking his eyes from Dean's face, placed a chaste kiss on the palm.

Green eyes widened as Dean sucked in a sharp breath. "Cas!" he breathed. Castiel slowly lowered Dean's hand, and gave Dean a small smile.

"I have told you, Dean, I care for you."

For his part, all Dean could do was open and close his mouth like a fish. All thoughts of being ill and miserable flew out of his mind the second Cas raised his hand to his lips. He heard a roaring sound in his ears that he thought might have been the blood rushing to his face. He never admitted it, not even to himself, but the thought of Castiel wanting him made his soul feel quieted for the first time since Hell.

"Dean?" Cas prodded when he failed to make any movement for several moments. "I apologize if I have overstepped my boundary into your personal space."

Dean gave himself a mental shake. "Cas, I…uhhhh…No, it's fine…it's just…ummm…what did you do that for? I mean…"

Castiel scooted up the bed, and Dean shivered at the angel's proximity. Blue eyes met green, as Castiel whispered, "May I?"

Dean nodded, and Castiel gently pressed his lips to Dean's. The spark that had been steadily growing in strength between them over the past year flared to brilliance at this moment, and the kiss grew in intensity. Cas reached up and cupped the back of Dean's head as he felt more than heard him moan into the kiss. Several breathless moments later, they pulled away, both of them panting and wide eyed. Castiel's eyes were immediately drawn to Dean's swollen and glistening lips as Dean's tongue darted out and tasted them.

"Well," said Dean after a moment, "I'm not itchy anymore." Castiel chuckled.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Sam walked through the door of the motel room with his bag of medicine and Gatorade for Dean. He paused, noting with a grin how Castiel held his sleeping brother. The angel glanced up at Sam for a moment, then went back to running his fingers through his hunter's hair. "He woke up," was all that the angel said.

Sam nodded, depositing his bags on the table. "His fever still gone?"

Cas shifted slightly, causing the hunter to moan and burrow deeper into Castiel's side. "Yes. He also complained of his joints 'feeling like an old dude's' and being itchy."

Sam opened his laptop. "That should narrow it down," he said. As he waited for the internet to connect, he looked over at his brother and Castiel. Never in a million years would Dean be caught cuddling like that, unless something happened. He typed in Dean's symptoms and pondered the two on the bed as he waited for the results to load. Turning back to the computer, he squinted his eyes at the results. "Wait a second…." he muttered. "Cas, are Dean's hives on just the one arm, kind of around the elbow?"

Cas peered around the body curled at his side. "Yes." He confirmed to Sam.

"I think it's something called serum-sickness. He must be allergic to that antivenin from that snake bite he got." Sam paused and glanced at the angel. "Can you heal him if that's the case?"

The angel shook his head. "Allergies are not something we are able to help. What is the human cure?"

Sam looked back at the computer, slightly disappointed that his brother could not be healed from this. Although it certainly seemed that Dean had gotten plenty of 'mojo-healing' this past week or two; then he paused at the thought of what other kinds of 'mojo' he might be getting. While he thought the idea of Dean and Castiel together was awesome, he did not want the mental imagery. He shuddered.

"Sam?" Cas prodded from the other side of the room.

"Right, sorry. Just….Right." He scanned several webpages. "Most of these say antihistamines and corticosteroids. I guess it goes away on its own if the initial cause is stopped. Providing it was in fact the antivenin that caused this, and that it is this serum sickness, he should be just fine."

Castiel smiled down at the sleeping hunter in his arms. "That is good," he said.

"So…uhhh…Anything else happen while I was out?" Sam questioned, opening a bottle of water and raising it to his mouth.

The angel nodded seriously. "Yes. We kissed."

Water sprayed out of Sam's mouth as he choked and spluttered. Dean's eyes opened and he sat up immediately realizing that both his brother was choking and that he was wrapped in Castiel's arms while in the same room as said brother.

"Sam? Are you okay?" Dean asked as he tried in vain to unravel himself from both the sheets and Cas's arms. Sam nodded wide-eyed as he continued to splutter. "What happened?" Sam just shook his head weakly.

"I told him that we kissed as he was taking a drink," Castiel responded helpfully. "Perhaps I should have waited until after he had finished."

"You told him what?" Dean yelped, now even more frantic to remove himself from beside the angel.

"Dean, hey! It's okay man, just…caught me by surprise is all," coughed Sam. "Really! I'm happy for you guys."

The angel reached a hand towards Dean, who leaned away, mindlessly scratching at his hives. "Your feelings towards me are something you are ashamed of?" he asked.

"Yes! I mean, no. I mean…I don't know."

Castiel spoke to Sam, although his eyes never left Dean's face. "Sam, could you leave us for a moment please?"

"Uhh, sure. I'll be..out. Somewhere." Sam wasted no time in grabbing the keys and his wallet before hurrying out the door, yelling at Dean to take his meds as he left.

The room was silent for a few minutes. Dean refused to meet the angel's eyes.

"Dean, I am sorry if I went about this in the wrong manner. I am unfamiliar with the correct protocol. But I am not sorry about how I feel for you."

Dean reached up a hand to rub at the hives adorning his arm. Cas got up and went through the bag of medicine Sam had brought. He found a box that was labeled antihistamine and carefully read the dosage. Popping out two of the little pink pills, he handed them to Dean along with the Gatorade.

Dean glared at the offering. "I hate Gatorade," he muttered, but he reached out and took the pills and the bottle from Cas. Swallowing the pills with a grimace, he wiggled his fingers as he set the bottle down on the nightstand.

"Are you still experiencing joint pain?" Castiel asked him worriedly. After a slight hesitation, Dean nodded. "What pills do you take for that?" Cas wandered back to the table, examining each of the bottles and boxes.

"Ibuprofen," was the reply from directly behind him. Cas looked over his shoulder at the hunter. Cas handed him the correct bottle, and took a deep breath. "Talk to me Dean, please."

"Cas, look. I do have these feelings for you, okay? Am I pissed that you blabbed to Sam that we kissed? Yeah, kind of. But whatever, I think he suspected something was going to happen anyways. It's just, I've never felt this way before. Especially not about a dude."

Castiel gave his hunter a small smile. "I have never felt this way before either, Dean. Angels only feel love for another when they meet their bond mate. Before that the only love we are permitted to feel is for our Father, and that is even a different kind of love."

Dean froze. "What? Bond mate?"

Cas nodded and stepped closer to Dean. "You are my bond mate, Dean. I have only just realized this, what these feelings truly mean. Suriel has told me what my feeling mean. She said that is why you were able to sense my presence when I came to get you at the doctor's house."

Dean's sea green eyes widened. He had so much going through his mind, but when he opened his mouth, what came out was "Suriel?"

Cas smiled and nodded. "She is one of Heaven's most knowledgeable sources on bond mates. I went to her and sought her advice. She is the one who has been showing me what these emotions are and what I must do about them."

"Wait, that was your 'official angel business' you've been sneaking off to lately, isn't it?"

Cas nodded. "I wanted to be completely sure before I told you, Dean. And now I am sure."

"Wow Cas, that's ummm…some intense shit." Dean sat back down on the bed, his knees suddenly feeling too weak to hold his weight. "So, what now?"

Cas moved over to sit beside him again. Gently, with one hand he tilted Dean's head towards him, and for the second time that night tasted Dean Winchester's lips. This time Dean's eyes closed in pleasure, and his mouth was pliant and willing under Cas's. The thought of being with Dean, of having Dean as his bond mate, sent thrills of pleasure coursing through Cas.

Drawing Dean closer, the angel pulled away slightly, and moved his kisses down across Dean's strong jawline, intrigued by the way the slight amount of stubble roughened his lips. He reached Dean's ear, and his hunter gave a sharp inhale as the angel gave the ear a gentle nip.

"Cas, wait." Dean panted.

The angel pulled away and looked at his hunter. Dean's pupils were blown when he opened his eyes, and his breathing was heavy.

"What is it?" He asked softly.

"I'm gonna sound like a girl for saying this, and don't you ever tell Sam, but," he took a big calming breath. "Could we slow down? Just a little? It's just, I've never been with a dude before…"

Castiel sat back and smiled at his hunter. "Of course, Dean. I have never been with anyone at all, so I still think you are more prepared than me."

Dean groaned. Just great. A virgin as his bond mate. He'll never get any sleep when he introduces his angel to sex. Speaking of, "Cas, what's it mean to be a bond mate anyways?"

Castiel paused thoughtfully before replying. "I suppose it is similar to the human concept of marriage. Except that it transcends this plane of existence." He took Dean's hand in his own. "When the time comes for you to leave the mortal realm behind, we will be joined in Heaven for all time."

Dean gently extracted his hand from Castiel's. It briefly occurred to him that this should be freaking him out a lot more than it was. "Dude, this is like…the ultimate chick-flick moment."

Castiel smiled softly. "Yes, I suppose it is."

~*~*SPN~*~*

The angel and his hunter were curled up around each other when Sam knocked tentatively on the door an hour later.

"Come in," Castiel called out.

Sam poked his head around the door, eyes screwed tightly shut. "Is, uhhh…Can I open my eyes?" he asked hesitantly.

Dean snorted. "Sure, if you wanted to see me and Cas in all of our naked glory."

Sam quickly pulled his head back, and was making to shut the door, when Dean called out, "Sammy, I was just joking, man. It's okay, come in."

"He's telling the truth, Sam; it is safe." Cas reiterated.

The younger Winchester peered into the room, and upon seeing his brother and the angel were in fact fully clothed, breathed out a sigh of relief. He gave the two a small smile. "Hey guys. So, I'm guessing you worked things out?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, looks like. Listen, Sam, you're sure you're okay with this?"

Sam moved to sit on the other bed. "Dude, Bobby and I have been trying to get you two together for the past year! I am more than just okay with this."

"Bobby!" Dean cried, staring at his brother with a mortified look on his face. "How the fuck did Bobby think this would happen? Oh god, we can't go to Bobby's place now…I won't be able to deal with him."

Cas chuckled above him. "Don't worry, Dean, I will protect you from Bobby's evil teasing."

Dean pushed himself into a sitting position and glared up at his angel. "I don't need protection, I can take care of myself," he grouched. Castiel couldn't help but notice how young and adorable Dean looked when he pouted. How those lips pursed together just so. Dean caught him staring and his tongue darted out to lick his lips. He leaned forward to kiss that mouth, and a cough from the other bed paused him. He flicked his eyes in Sam's direction, noting how he was looking at the paintings on the opposite wall as though they were the most interesting thing in the world. He quickly planted a kiss on Dean's lips, then straightened.

"Perhaps now that Dean's fever has gone, we should continue on our way?" He suggested. The hunter's nodded in unison.

"Yeah, let's get moving," said Sam, happy to have a distraction. "The sooner Dean is able to rest up at Bobby's, the happier I'll be."

Cas nodded in agreement. "You keep resting, Dean. I will help Sam pack up." Dean opened his mouth to protest that he was feeling much better, that he didn't need to be babied, when twin looks from his brother and angel made him reconsider. Great, now he had two mother hens to deal with. Absently he scratched at his arm as he let his mind wander to what Cas had revealed.

Dean felt a hand on his wrist, and looked down to see that Castiel had come to stand beside him and stop his scratching. Just in time too; thin streaks of blood where his nails had ripped open several hives coated his arm. "Oops," he said guiltily.

Cas looked at him in concern. "Dean, you must refrain from scratching." The blood vanished as his angel dropped his hand. "Are you ready to go? Sam and I have packed everything into your car."

"Already?" Dean looked around. The motel was clear aside from a glass of water with several pills beside it that Dean knew were for him. He must have zoned out for longer than he thought. "Sure, let's hit the road. Where's Sammy?"

"He went to go check out."

As Dean stood up and started to move over to the table to take his pills, Castiel pulled him in for another passionate kiss. Dean again marvelled at how Cas's mouth could be so skilled for someone who has never kissed another being before. Dean felt Cas's hands come up to caress his face, and he reached around and pulled his angel in close, pressing their bodies together as tightly as their mouths. This time it was Castiel's turn to moan in pleasure. Dean grinned into the kiss. He liked hearing his angel moan like that. He wondered how many other things he could do to draw that sound out of him.

They finally broke the kiss, and Cas leaned their foreheads together. "You are incredible, Dean," he breathed.

Dean shifted uncomfortably. What could he say to that? Looking into his angel, his bond mate's sky blue eyes, he smiled and settled for the truth. "You too, Cas."

~*~*SPN~*~*

They pulled into Singer Salvage Yard at half past six on Tuesday. By ten AM Wednesday, Dean was ready to punch both Bobby's and Sam's lights out.

Sam had wasted pretty much zero time letting the cat out of the bag to Bobby about him and Cas. He knew how the kid got when he was excited, but damn it! This wasn't his to say. Bobby kept going on and on about how he was going to have to get a new queen size bed, and then Sam piped up that he had better make it a king, and fuck if Dean didn't get out of that place; soon he was going to end up bloodying one of their faces, and he wasn't picky whose.

Castiel found him in the shop, his boots sticking out from under the Impala. Dean knew the moment his angel arrived. Perhaps it was that bond thing that Cas had told him about. "Hey, Cas," he grumbled as he pulled himself out from under his baby.

"Hello, Dean." Castiel looked at his lover and tilted his head as he pondered him. "You are still upset at Bobby and Sam." It wasn't a question.

Dean snorted and threw up his hands in exasperation. "They're being assholes," he complained.

"Why? Because they are happy for you? For us?"

"Well, no. It's not that. I get that they are happy. I am too, really. But they're acting like a couple of old farts whose kid is getting married."

Castiel chuckled. "Let them have their moment, Dean. Essentially, you are married."

Dean wrinkled his nose. "You're the wife. I get to be the husband." He turned and began putting his tools away. He felt arms wrap around him, and a strong presence against his back.

"You can put whatever labels on it that you want to, Dean. You are still mine and I am still yours," whispered the angel's voice in his ear. "Shall I get us out of here for a while? Sam and Bobby are still inside discussing our room décor; I am certain they will be busy for a while."

"They're decorating now? Fuck, they really are like two old ladies. Yeah, let's go out Cas. Take us somewhere where I don't have to worry about Sam and Bobby breathing down my neck!" He felt Castiel grin against his cheek.

"Close your eyes," purred the angel.

Dean felt the dizzying sensation of angel flight for a brief moment and then felt the sun's rays soaking into his skin as his feet sunk into the softest sand he had ever felt. He opened his eyes and looked around in wonder. "Cas…" he breathed.

In front of them stretched the turquoise waters of the ocean, and the sounds of the water gently lapping at the white sand made Dean relax almost instantly. He took a deep breath, and inhaled nothing but pure clean air, tinged with salt from the ocean. "Where are we?" he asked as he glanced around in wonder. There was not another person in sight.

"Coconut Beach," Cas replied, taking Dean's hand and taking a step towards the water. "Lizard Island, Australia, to be exact."

Dean grinned at Cas, "Australia? Cas, you've gotta be shitting me!"

"I am not 'shitting you', Dean," Castiel responded to his bond mate. "I take it this is far away enough from Sam and Bobby for you?"

Dean nodded gleefully. "Come on, Cas! Can't go into the ocean looking like a tax accountant!" He began tugging off the angel's trench coat, and Cas bemusedly humoured him. Seeing that his lover had the right idea, Dean began stripping off his own clothes, until he was left with just his boxers. When Castiel pulled down his trousers, Dean couldn't help the smirk that lit up his face at the sight.

"So you're a briefs guy, hey?" Dean said with a gesture towards said briefs.

Castiel looked down quizzically. "These are Jimmy's undergarments, Dean."

"Once upon a time, that statement might have really freaked me out, you know that? Once upon a time though, this whole bond mate thing for sure would have freaked me out."

"What changed?" asked Cas, as he followed Dean into the crystal clear water.

Dean shrugged as he stood there in the surf and gazed out at the horizon. "To be perfectly honest, Cas, I don't really know. I've never really felt like I belonged anywhere, or with anyone. Sam and my dad, they were the only family I really knew, and they both left me. But with you I guess…I guess I just feel like I belong for once. It's kind of nice to be wanted, ya know?" Without waiting for a reply, Dean dove beneath the surface, cutting through the water with powerful strokes. He had always loved swimming, and the rare occasions his dad stopped in a place with pool access, Dean practiced swimming every chance he got. There was something freeing about the weightless feeling, and he loved the burn he felt in all his muscles after several hours of swimming.

Castiel stood and watched Dean swim, an admiring gleam in his eye as he watched the ocean droplets gleam off the smooth rippling planes of Dean's muscles. Finally he could take no more, and flew to his hunter, grabbing him out of the water and transporting them both back to the beach.

"Ca-!" Dean's protest was cut off as Castiel's hungry mouth claimed his own and he was lowered to the white sands of the beach. Castiel moved down to Dean's chest, tasting the salt from the ocean in the tiny droplets of water that still clung to him. The love he felt for this man, this human, swelled up in him until it felt like he was going to burst.

Suddenly Dean let out a startled gasp of amazement. "Cas," he said in awe. "Cas, your wings. They're…incredible."

Castiel paused and raised his head in shock. "You can see my wings?"

Dean nodded, and reached out to touch one of the shiny black feathers. He raked his hands down the long primary, marveling at the softness of it. Castiel preened at the gentle touch. For so long he had imagined what it would be like to have Dean touch his wings, but no amount of imagining prepared him for how it actually felt.

"This shouldn't be possible. We have not officially bonded yet!" Cas proudly arched his wings, confused as to how Dean could see them without the bonding, but basking in the attention none the less.

Dean for his part marvelled at how the spray from the ocean caught each feather individually, at how the midnight coloration of the wings contrasted to the white sand of the beach.

Suddenly a sound that was all oddly familiar to Dean rang out across the beach. Castiel cried out as Dean screamed and clapped his hands to his ears. A bright light flashed and Dean squeezed his eyes shut. His ears were ringing and he could feel blood starting to trickle down from between his fingers.

He pried his eyes open, sand had blown across his lids and made them gritty, but when his vision cleared, his heart dropped into his chest. He was alone. Castiel was gone.

"No. No, no, no, no…" He chanted over and over. "Cas! Castiel! Where are you!" He frantically crawled over to where his and Castiel's clothes lay strewn on the beach, blown around slightly from whatever force had taken Cas. Dean grabbed his pants and dug around in the pocket looking for his cell. Heaving a sigh of relief when he pulled it out undamaged, he flipped it open and cried out in dismay when he saw that he had no reception. Scrambling to Cas's trench, he pulled out his phone, only to discover the same thing.

"Fuck, Cas, where are you?" Dean stood and squinted his still slightly grainy sight up and down the beach. It was still deserted. He stood and had to shake away some of his disorientation from the ear-piercing sound that he had heard.

Dean pulled on his pants and grabbed Castiel's clothes. He would want them back when he found him. Dean stumbled down the beach, looking everywhere for signs of his bond mate. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not when he and Cas finally got together. He had to find him. He would find him. Only problem, he was stuck in Australia with no way to contact his brother and Bobby for help. Only thing to do was to find civilization. And help.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Castiel groaned as he weakly pushed himself into a sitting position. Getting forcefully pulled through dimensions was incredibly painful, as he had already learned. This time was no exception.

The first thing he noticed was that he was surrounded by burning holy oil. Great, just great. His powers were effectually rendered useless now.

Looking down, the second thing he noticed was that he was not wearing his clothes, just the undergarments that Dean referred to as 'briefs'. The thought of his bond mate pulled him up short. Sitting up straighter, Castiel wildly looked around. There was no sign of Dean anywhere. And Cas was certainly not on the beach anymore, so he had to hope that Dean was unharmed and still there. He had no idea where he himself was though. Not many creatures had the power to forcibly pull an angel of the Lord through space, so he was obviously dealing with something powerful.

He concentrated on his bond he had with Dean. No amount of holy oil was powerful enough to overcome the bond between an angel and his mate. He barely felt anything along the bond, although it could be because it was as yet unformalised. He faintly felt traces of Dean though, and that was enough to send his heart fluttering in relief. His bond mate was alive. He didn't know what condition he was in, but he knew he was alive. Right now that was enough.

Castiel stood in the circle of holy oil, his back was ramrod straight as he waited for whoever took him to make an appearance. He didn't have to wait long. He heard the door on the other side of the room open. He turned towards it, and when he saw who walked through the door, a snarl appeared on his face at the same time his heart sunk.

"Hello Castiel," the newcomer's voice said, smug and haughty as ever.

"Raphael."

 **The sequel is ready to go and will be posted shortly. The version I will post on will be the non NC-17 version. For the full version (sexual content) sequel please visit my livejournal ( blayzepwa . livejournal . com ) or my A03 page**


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